Wicked Game
by OriginalPippie
Summary: The Monkees: Sequel to Tempted, or rather the second installment in a series I call Summer of '68. Mike falls in love with Trixie but refuses to believe it at first. When he finally admitis it to himself he learns he may be too late.
1. The world was on fire

Chapter one: The world was on fire

His stomach hurt the moment he heard her voice on the phone. Right away he knew that this late night phone call had to do with Micky and as he heard the urgency in Trixie's voice, Mike knew that it was extremely important that he listened to what she had to say. The words seemed to slowly flow from her mouth and into Mike's ears, causing his heart to sink into his already hurt stomach. His thoughts turned to Micky and whatever bad situation he must have got himself into with that August. After a mental "Damn you Micky" Mike was able to put his hurt feelings towards his estranged best friend aside. He knew that no doubt if Micky was in any kind of trouble as Trixie predicted he was going to have to bail him out of it.

"…If they still haven't come home by the morning, call me back."

After hanging up, Mike sighed and walked upstairs. However he knew that even though he was going to bed, he was not going to get any sleep. When he lay his head on the pillow he looked up at the ceiling and then over at Micky's empty bed.

"I should have never told him to leave…"

Just a few hours later all six of them had gathered in front of the Monkees' house. They quickly went over who was going to go in which car and where they would look for Micky and August. Mike watched as Davy and Peter crawled into the back of Tulip's van before the van pulled out of the driveway.

"Should we be scared for them? That Tulip guy didn't exactly seem like the most… um… trustworthy driver around."

Trixie snickered "They'll be fine."

"You sure about that?"

"Hell if I know." She laughed

Trixie walked over to the passenger side of the Monkeemobile. Mike had followed her and opened the door, helping her in. When she was in she smiled softly as Mike closed the door. After getting in the car on the driver's side, he looked over at Trixie to see her smiling at him.

"What?"

"You're such a gentleman, Michael. Have you always been that way?"

Mike shrugged "I was always taught to be when I was growing up. Living with other guys I've never got the chance to show that side of me I suppose."

"Well that makes me feel special."

Mike grinned as he started the car "Let's get a move on, shall we?"

As they pulled out of the driveway, Mike's grin faded, as did Trixie's smile. The two of them quickly became serious and quiet. The only thing that they could think of was whether or not they would find their friends.

Some time had passed before they decided to stop for breakfast. They stopped in a near by diner, not knowing that Micky and August had left the town they were in just an hour earlier. Trixie saw across from Mike, looking down and picking at the food on her plate. He watched as she did this before he sipped on his coffee. They hardly spoke to each other as they sat there, hardly eating. He looked away from her and peered out the window, trying not to show that he felt as down as Trixie appeared right then. She ran her fork through her food again before actually taking in the bite. Mike reached across the table and lightly picked up her hands. He ran his thumbs over the top of her hands and she tilted her head up to look at him. A very slight grin fell upon her lips.

"Hey…" Mike looked into her pale green eyes "Don't look so down. It makes me feel bad to see you that way." Trixie's smile became brighter and she laughed "There we go. That's the smile I was looking for."

"Sorry Michael. I can't stop thinking about them. Especially Micky."

"Yeah I understand." He paused and let go of her hands "You ready to go?"

"Yeah. Well hold on a sec. I'll be right back."

Trixie got up from the table and Mike's head turned in her direction as she walked to the restroom. For a moment he leaned back in his side of the booth with his arm stretched out over the top of it. While waiting for Trixie to return, inspiration hit him. He pulled a pen out of his pocket and grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and began to scribble down a few lines. When Trixie returned to the table, Mike stuffed the napkin into his pocket.

"Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Mike stood up, left a trip on the table and they walked away. After paying the check, Mike walked out to the car with Trixie. Once again Mike had opened the door for her before getting into the car. Trixie leaned over to her left to reach for the seat belt fastener. She didn't realize that Mike had done the same thing from the other side, until the two of them bumped their foreheads.

"Ow." Trixie pulled away and rubbed her forehead

"Uh… sorry."

"No it's ok." She turned her head back to look into his eyes that were staring back into hers "Oh…" She grinned sheepishly "Nice to meet you here, brown eyes."

Mike laughed and backed away "Um yeah." He nervously cleared his throat a couple times before starting the car "Let's go."

As the day went on, the two traveling companions began to grow restless in the car. The sun had begun beating down over the car, prompting them to roll the windows down. This caused quite a breeze to blow about them. Mike glanced over at Trixie a few times as he drove, seeing that she was constantly brushing her hair out of her face as it blew around wildly.

"You know you can roll that window up."

"No I'm fine. I like the way the air feels." Her hair blew in her face and she made an attempt to blow it away so she could see "I wouldn't mind my hair blowing around if it didn't go in my face. But I don't have anything to hold it back."

Mike reached down between the seats and picked up his green wool hat. He shook it out before handing it to her.

"Here put this on. It'll help control your hair."

"Your hat? Well I couldn't wear this."

"It's fine. Just don't tell anyone I let you wear it."

"Thanks Michael." She put the hat on and smoothed out the sides of her hair

Mike smirked "It looks… cute on you."

"Really? I've never been much of a hat person."

"You could have fooled me."

He grinned and looked back at the road. His eyes turned towards the horizon. The sky above it had filled with grey clouds. From the looks of things the two of them were headed for some heavy rain. Trixie looked down to the floorboard and saw a crumpled napkin near her feet. The napkin spiked her interest when she noticed what looked to be something written on it. She picked it up and carefully smoothed it out.

"What's this?"

"Oh I forgot about it. Just some lyrics I may use in a song."

"Do you always write your songs on napkins?"

"Well no. Actually I write on whatever I have handy. One time I even wrote on my arm and kept it there until I could find some paper."

Trixie lightly grinned as she read the scribbled lines out loud "Darkened rolling figures move through prisms of no color… hand in hand they walk the night, but never know each other…" She paused and read the next couple lines to herself "…questions but no answers… Michael this is beautiful and so profound."

"You think so?"

"I think this shows some great potential."

"Well hold onto that napkin. I don't want to lose it."

"Alright." She looked around for a safe place to stash the napkin before stuffing in down the top of her sun dress

"I kind of meant for you to put it somewhere like the glove box but that's a nice place for it too." He snickered

"You told _me _to hold onto it, not the glove box."

"Well Trixie you got me there."

Trixie giggled before looking out the window. After a few minutes she let out a little sigh and shook her head. This caught Mike's attention but he kept his eyes on the road.

"Something wrong?"

"I just have this bad feeling, Michael."

"We'll find them. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried about not finding them. Well I know August will be fine no matter where he is. It's Micky I worry about."

"You must know something that I don't."

She sighed again "I know August too well. And let's just say he hasn't had the greatest track record with relationships."

"Something you know first hand?"

"No but I've seen it happen to other people plenty of times."

"Seen what happen?"

"Well… basically it comes down to this. August reels you in with his charm. Then next thing you know you're in it so deep that your head is spinning and you have no idea what even happened to you. Then he'll even get you to do tings that you've never expected to do. And then without warning, BOOM! August rips your heart out by dumping you."

Mike whistled "Ouch. You sure you never experienced it for yourself?"

She let out a short laugh "You kidding me? Shit I ain't got the right parts to even be with him."

Mike only shook his head with a snicker. Although he found it weird it surprisingly didn't bother him to have just found out that Micky had been dating August. When it came down to it he wasn't one to judge especially his friends. He also found it funny how Trixie didn't seem to realize that she had just ousted the couple. The first few rain drops hit the car and they both rolled up their windows. Trixie took off Mike's hat and tossed it to the floor. She then ran her fingers through her long red hair to put the natural volume back into it. This was the first time where Mike tried to avoid looking at her the whole time they had been in the car. Right then he knew that if he paid attention to her like he wanted to, it would greatly distract him from what was really important.


	2. What desire will make foolish people do

Chapter two: What desire will make foolish people do

Neither of them could believe just how quickly the rain had begun to pour down upon the car. Mike frowned as he tried to see past the rain and windshield wipers, both of which were going at top speed. At this point he had given up on finding Micky but he knew that Trixie had not, so he kept on driving.

A figure formed through the rain and was walking towards the direction of the car. Mike tried to see who this figure could have been. He had some kind of idea who it was but he wasn't sure until Trixie pointed towards the person and exclaimed that it was Micky. Sure enough there Micky was, walking along the sidewalk looking like a depressed drowned rat with his soaked and flattened curls sticking to his forehead. He clutched a bag really close to his chest and kept his eyes turned down. Mike tapped on the horn before getting out of the car. The two of them began yelling at each other all the while getting pounded by the falling rain.

Trixie decided that it was time for her to take charge of the situation by getting out of the car and grabbing hold of Micky. Mike stood back and watched as Trixie took over yelling at Micky for him. Her long hair had grown much darker as the water engulfed it, causing it to weigh down. Her sundress began to seem as though it was shrinking as it clung to her slender and obviously braless form. Mike's eyes wandered and followed a single rain drop as it slowly rolled down from the bottom of her chin and all the way down her cleavage, disappearing within the depths of her dress.

Before he knew it, Micky had quietly agreed to get into the car and Trixie had followed him. Mike got into the driver's seat and momentarily watched as Trixie wrung out her hair. In order to prevent himself from staring at her and taking in her natural, and very wet, beauty, Mike made it seem as though he needed to adjust the rearview mirror. In doing so he managed to catch Micky's reflection. Micky sat in the backseat with his head down and knees drawn up to his chest. Mike couldn't tell if the drops rolling down Micky's cheeks were from the rain or tears. But he decided that it was better not to question whether or not his friend was crying. All he had to do then was get the three of them back to California and back home.

Everyone was exhausted from this long journey. They were all gathered in the living room area of the downstairs and Trixie had even managed to coax Micky out from the bedroom to join them. Davy and Peter started conversation off by describing what they had gone through in riding along with Brownie and Tulip. It turned out that Tulip's driving wasn't the only frightening part of their trip. After they completely lost track of where they were they wound up picking up what they thought to be a very harmless hitchhiker. The hitchhiker, as they discovered, wound up pulling a knife out and made an attempt at robbing them. The four of them wound up literally throwing the would-be robber out of the van, leaving him stranded in the middle of nowhere. After that caper they said that it had taken them almost two hours to realize that they were driving around in circles through San Diego. That's when they decided to head back home.

Mike was going to tell the other three guys about certain little moments he had shared with Trixie. But the fact that Trixie was there caused him to keep it all to himself. Instead he sat back and played those very moments in his head. As he thought about those images with a grin he didn't realize at first that Micky was telling a story of his own. Micky explained to them what exactly prompted him to go with August and what led up to him becoming stranded in the rain where Mike and Trixie had found him. Mike frowned a little, feeling guilty that he was picturing Trixie soaking wet with her skintight dress clinging even closer to her body, while Micky was sadly telling his tale of sudden lost love.

After a little bit Trixie got up and headed over to the door. She said how she was tired after such a long day and that she was going to go home. It didn't take much on Mike's part to talk her into staying the night. She grinned as she accepted the offer because she was secretly hoping that someone would have asked her to stay. After everything they had gone through she didn't want to go home to an empty house.

The other three guys had gone to bed while Mike and Trixie stayed up together to talk. They sat next to each other on the couch. Trixie scooted over closer to him and rested her head on his chest. He casually rested his arm on the back of the couch and around her shoulders. His fingers grazed the top of her shoulder and began to lightly create tiny patterns over her skin. She sighed softly and she saw that he had drifted off into his own thoughts.

"Michael?"

"Hmm?"

"What's on your mind right now?"

"Oh, uh, I was just thinking of that song I started writing. I probably should find some paper and finish it."

"Oh yeah I forgot about that." She paused and then pulled away from Mike. She reached down, the front of her dress and pulled out a crumpled napkin "Here." She giggled as she handed it to him

Mike snickered and took the napkin "You had it in there the whole time?"

"Apparently so. I hope you can still read it."

Mike smoothed out the ink-smudged napkin "Some parts are a little smeared but I can still make it out."

"That's good."

Mike put the napkin in his pocket. He looked at her only to see her green eyes twinkling as they looked directly into his eyes. The two of them slowly moved in closer towards each other. Mike swallowed right before their mouths had reached a point where they would be about an inch apart. He moved his head back some and brought his hand up to scratch his nose.

"Well I probably should call it a night." He said

"Oh… alright."

He stood up and mentally kicked himself for not taking the opportunity to kiss her "Oh by the way, are you going to be comfortable here on the couch? I could let you sleep in my bed and I'll sleep down here."

"No Michael I couldn't let you give up your bed for me. I'll be fine down here."

"Ok if you're sure." He walked over to the closet and got a pillow and a blanket for her "But just to warn you. Peter sometimes likes to sleepwalk."

Trixie snickered "That shouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah well… just make sure he doesn't leave the house if he does."

"Ok I will."

"Well… goodnight." He backed away from the couch and went over to the stairs

"Goodnight." She grinned and made her "bed" before lying down

With each step he took up the stairs, Mike cursed himself in his head. He hoped that Trixie had not noticed that he was feeling that he had made a fool of himself. He felt as though he should have stayed with her on the couch a little longer. He had no idea why he didn't kiss her when he had the chance. That wasn't like him. He wasn't a big risk taker but normally when he knew that he had a chance like the one he just had on the couch, he would have taken it. But for some reason he stopped himself from taking the chance. What was he afraid of? Would she hate him for it? Not likely. Was he just that much of a gentleman? Even he was surprised over that one. All of this was rattling around in his brain even as he lay down in his bed.

He turned over onto his side and watched Micky struggle to get into a comfortable position. Mike knew that both of them were going to have a hard time getting to sleep, but for much different reasons. Mike turned over on his other side, hoping that not being able to see Micky would help him to be able to relax, at least enough to ease his mind from his thoughts of Trixie.

Trixie. Oh Trixie McEuwin. What was it about her that was making Mike react this way? She had always been more Micky's friend than anyone else, but they all got along with her. Mike never even thought twice about her until now. There was something about her that suddenly began to draw Mike to her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Sure she was attractive bit he had never found himself to be actually _attracted _to her until now. But _why _he was attracted to her, was what he couldn't figure out.

Mike closed his eyes, trying to get Trixie off his mind. But immediately an image of her face appeared. He opened his eyes and sat up. Taking a glance over at Micky's bed he saw that Micky seemed to be asleep. Slowly, Mike got out of bed and walked over to the door. Right as he almost had the doorknob in his hand, Micky let out a whimper. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Mike stood still and quiet. Micky mumbled August's name, which prompted Mike to believe that he was still asleep. That was when Mike opened the door and crept downstairs.

He got part way over to the couch before he paused. The light from the moon came in through the window and seemed to be resting directly on the couch and nothing else. She looked so beautiful and alluring as she peacefully lay there. Mike slowly approached the couch and suddenly she stirred. He froze once again and watched her sit up.

"Michael! You startled me."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"What are you doing here? I thought you went to bed."

"I did. But then I remembered that I was going to ask you if you would like another blanket or pillow or something." He lied

"No I'm fine. Thanks."

"Alright well I uh… well goodnight." He turned to go back to the stairs

"Goodnight then…" She lay back down

Once again Mike mentally cursed himself as he went back upstairs. He couldn't believe how he was acting. He had never been this way towards someone he found himself attracted to. It didn't even occur to him until she had woken up just how creepy it might have come across by him sneaking downstairs and going up to her as she slept. He also realized that he didn't know what he was going to do as he was down there. He knew what he would have liked to have done but he had no idea how she would have felt about it. Right then as he reached his bedroom, he felt that it was better to worry about all of this the next day when he would be able to talk to her. Until then he was going to try to get some sleep.


	3. Never dreamed I'd meet somebody like you

Warning: The fluff in this chapter is so cute that it may cause your head to explode.  
--

Chapter three: Never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you

Mike had woken up and got dressed earlier than he had expected to. When he wandered downstairs he saw that Trixie had done the same. She sat up on the couch and stretched before looking over at Mike with a sort of sleepy smile. Mike returned the smile with a wave as he approached the couch.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes actually. The couch is much more comfortable than it looks."

"Well great." He looked towards the glass doors and then at her "Looks nice out there. Care to join me for a walk?"

"Um yeah sure. That would be nice."

He held his hand out for her and she giggled as he helped her up. They walked over to the glass doors and then stepped onto the balcony. The morning sun was shining down but it wasn't bright. The water rippled a little and the sun caused it to sparkle. A few seagulls dove to the shore line and squawked as they waddled about. Trixie giggled as she watched the birds, and remarked about how funny they looked. Mike shook his head with a slight laugh, thinking about how cute it seemed. Trixie then took Mike by the hand and walked with him over to the stairs. Mike didn't mind it at all when she led him down to the sand.

The moment that they touched the sand, she giggled and squished the sand around with her bare toes. Mike just stood back and watched her with a soft smile. He couldn't help but take in this adorable new childlike innocent side that she was displaying before him. She kicked up the sand before running up towards the birds, causing them to fly away with a screech and Mike to laugh out loud. He snickered as he walked over to where she was and lightly put and arm around her waist. The two of them looked at the water for a moment before Trixie noticed his arm. She looked up at him before motioning to his arm with her eyes.

"Oh sorry." He pulled his arm away and let it down by his side

"It's alright. It just surprised me."

"So um… would it bother you if I did it again?"

"I don't know. Should it?"

"Well I suppose not… it's really up to you…"

"Oh is it now?"

Before Mike could reply she ran up towards the water. Right as the water was about to touch her feet she ran away. She ran back up to the water and then giggled as she ran away again. Mike couldn't help but laugh as he watched her.

"Come on Michael!" She smiled brightly when she said his name

Mike smiled and walked up to where she was. He took her by the hand and he too was reduced to a little kid as they ran back and forth, to and from the water. Mike let go of her hand and watched as she slowed down and inched her way to the water. A smirk formed on his lips as he got an urge he knew he couldn't resist. Knowing that she wouldn't be paying attention, Mike ran up and pushed her into the shallow water.

"Ahh!" She shrieked as she hit the water "Damn you Michael!"

Mike shrugged, putting on his best innocent look "It wasn't me."

"Oh right." She stood up "Who was it then?"

"I don't know. Musta been a sea monster."

"A sea monster! Eek!" She hopped from one foot to the other, pretending to be scared "Same me Michael! Save me from the mean ol' sea monster!"

Mike did his best muscleman pose before scooping her up and slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She laughed and swung her legs as Mike marched deeper into the water with her.

"What are you doing now Michael?"

"I'm um… getting rid of the sea monster by offering it a pretty little sacrifice."

"Eek! No I don't want to be a sacrifice! Put me down!"

"Yes ma'am." He immediately tossed her into the water

Trixie sputtered and wiped the water off of her face with her hands. She looked up at Mike to see that he had doubled over in a bout of laughter. As she stood up with her best attempt at a tough looking scowl, she approached the tall Texan with her hands out to grab him. She was going to try to pull him down into the water despite the fact that he towered over her by a good foot and was built naturally stronger than she was. He stood still and firm in his spot, purposely making it difficult to move him. She tugged on his arm but he still didn't budge.

Mike snickered "You having fun, babe?"

She dropped his arm "You don't make things easy do you?"

"Oh I'm sorry. We're you trying to do something?"

"You're horrible."

"How so?"

"You threw me into the water and now you won't let me get revenge." She pouted

"Aww…" Mike pulled her into a hug

She pulled away from him and then pushed him into the water. As she stood there laughing at him, he sat in the waster wondering what had happened. He then pointed at her with a grin before getting up out of the water. He chased after her and she ran away, still laughing. Finally she stopped so he could catch up to her and then he tackled her down into the sand. The two of them lied next to each other in the sand for a moment as they shared a laugh. When their laughter died down they remained on the sand, gazing up at the sky. And while he had her lying next to him he began to contemplate something about her.

Mike also took in every single little detail about Trixie that he had never noticed before. He liked the way a small bit of hair often hid a few little freckles on the top of her forehead, and how those freckles were only visible when she brushed some of her lovely red locks out of her eyes. He took in how perfectly her ivory skin tone went with and set off that very shade of red that was often found in the sunset. And how the light green pools of her eyes were speckled with tiny flecks of yellow and darker green. A few more freckles ran across her nose at the top and then curved down onto her cheeks. Every freckle in this line seemed to be prettier than the first. Mike's eyes moved down a little lower to her soft pink lips. Those lips, he often noticed, had not been covered up by a man-made hue from any lipstick. And to this he was glad; they didn't need any extra color because he felt they were already perfect. Right above her top lip, just barely qualifying as not touching the lip, was a single freckle. This freckle was darker than the others and could have been perceived by other people to be a physical flaw. But to Mike nothing on her could possibly be a flaw. Every inch on her body, at least what he was able to see, was absolutely stunning to him. And there was no doubt in his mind that the rest of her would be equally stunning.

His eyes wandered off of her face, taking in and tracing every inch of her body. From the top of her head to the very tips of her toes, Mike memorized every single visible detail on her. If only he was a painter, he thought, he would be able to make a beautiful masterpiece and use her as his muse. But instead he knew he could do the next best thing, which was to capture her in a song.

He still wasn't quite sure what about her was attracting him. All he knew was, the little things he was now noticing that he liked about her. He liked the way the morning sun was resting upon her skin but not daring to burn or darken the shade of it. He liked the way her wet dress collected the sand, and how it rose and fell with her chest as she breathed. He really enjoyed how the rhythm of her breathing and moving chest matched the rhythm of the waves in the ocean. And he enjoyed how her eyes moved as she watched the birds in the sky.

Mike closed his eyes for a moment and began to think about the non-physical things about Trixie that he enjoyed. Her very name was the very first thing about Trixie that made him smile. To him it sounded like a name one would give to a mythical creature such as a wood nymph or fairy. He thought that because of this, it was a name that best fit her since she had the look of what he pictured one of those very creatures to look like. He adored here voice and the way she spoke. He couldn't help but smile every time he heard her laugh; so childlike and sweet. It was cute and bubbly without ever being annoying. Hell he even loved the way she said his name. It was never Mike; always Michael. And it always seemed to neatly flow from her lips every time she spoke it.

She was such a kind, caring and generous soul; always looking out for those around her. This was a trait that Mike admired in her. During the road trip he shared with her, Mike saw just how much she cared for her friends. He even took notice when they met up with Micky in the rain, how just like him, she wasn't afraid to yell if she felt it to be necessary. She told him that he really was the "father" figure in the group, but he quietly noticed how she could easily become the "mother" figure. And to him that side suited her well. She was feminine but at the same time she wasn't afraid to swear, drink and smoke right along with the guys. All of these very traits caused Mike to simply adore her. That's when it finally dawned on him what was attracting him to her; everything.

Mike never thought that he would ever fall for Trixie or even any girl close to Trixie. He had only thought of her as a friend of a friend and nothing more. Sure he had always gotten along with her but she never really crossed his mind until now. He couldn't even recall when exactly this had begun to change for him. Was it when she called him about Micky and August? Was it when they first got in the car together? Was it when they had stopped for breakfast? Was it when she wore his hat? Or perhaps was it when he watched her yell at Micky as the rain fell upon her? He thought that maybe the exact moment the things began to change for him didn't really matter. All that mattered was he was now feeling this way.

Trixie sat up and began to brush sand off of her. She stood all the way and looked down at him with a slight smirk as she dusted off the rest of the sand from her body. He pressed himself up into seated position, all the while keeping his eyes on her.

"Well I probably should be heading home now."

"Oh." He stood "You wouldn't want to stay for breakfast?"

"Um…" She scrunched her nose "I think I'll pass."

Mike snickered "Actually you're probably smart to. So um…" He paused and turned his head down to look at his feet "I could take you home."

"Thanks but my car is in the parking garage. Remember?"

"Oh right. Well I'll walk you to your car then."

"That would be nice."

Mike grinned as he allowed for her to walk ahead of him towards the garage. He made sure to open the door for her, causing her to smile as she got in the driver's seat. She then thanked him and touched her finger to the end of his nose with a slight giggle. As she backed out of the garage, Mike stood back and watched her leave. After she was gone he went back inside the house, happy to have her still on his mind.


	4. What a wicked game make me feel this way

Chapter four: What a wicked game: to make me feel this way

When Mike had gone back into the house he had noticed that none of the other guys had yet gotten up. He went back upstairs to change out of his wet, sandy clothes, still with Trixie on his mind. As he entered the living room once again he paused before the couch. The blanket and pillow were still how they were when Trixie woke up. He began to gather those items up and put them away when on the floor he spotted a small pair of tan sandals. One of these sandals had a single white and grey feather attached to a turquoise bead that had been carefully sewn into the top of it. Mike grinned as he bent down to pick them up. Right away as he held the sandals he knew what he had to do. With the sandals in his hand he then rounded up his keys and headed out the front door.

Just about ten minutes or so later Mike stood on Trixie's front porch. He lightly rapped on the door with the small brass doorknocker and held his breath for a few seconds.

"Just a minute!" Trixie seemed to sing from inside the house

Mike casually looked at the door and house before him as he waited. There was a few pieces of paint waiting for someone to come along and peel them off of the door. One of the black numbers on the house seemed a little crooked while another one was simply a completely different shape and size all together. Mike briefly wondered if this had been done on purpose or if either Trixie or August had been too lazy to make all the numbers uniform. Before he could make his decision about the house numbers, the door opened.

Trixie stood there with a small smile on her face. Her hair was wet and a little tangled about itself. With one hand she held a bath towel snuggly around her naked body.

"Hello Michael."

"Oh." He tried to look away "I'm sorry did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Not at all. I was just coming out of the shower. Do you need anything, Michael?"

"I just came to bring you these." He held up the sandals "You left 'em at the house."

"Oh! I forgot all about those." She took the sandals with her free hand and then kissed him lightly on the cheek "Thank you for bringing them over."

"You're welcome."

He leaned coolly against the doorframe. She adjusted her towel while looking at him. Neither of them knew what, if anything, they should say. Mike didn't want to invite himself in and he didn't know if she was going to ask him in either. She lightly blushed as she looked down for a second. When she looked back up at him she nearly lost her grip on the top of her towel. Mike stood up straight and gave her a little wave.

"Well I just came here to drop those off. I best be gettin' home. My turn to fix breakfast."

"Alright… if you can't stay…"

Mike reached out and thumbed away a drop of water that had just dripped down onto Trixie's cheek. He leaned in and placed a very tender kiss upon her lips. Touching his forehead to hers, he looked into her eyes with the slightest grin. Her eyes brightened and cheeks turned a nice shade of pink. Again he kissed her but this time he ran his tongue across her lips before passing it in between them. The kiss didn't linger but it seemed like it could have lasted forever. When he pulled away from her he lightly smoothed out part of her hair before tucking it neatly behind her ear. The corner of his mouth curled up into a smile as he took a step backwards.

"Well you have a good day now."

She grinned with a slight nod "Oh I will."

"Call me some time."

He stepped off of the porch and walked over to the car. Trixie stood there in the doorway, watching as he pulled out of the driveway. She smiled and waved, watching him drive away. Mike tapped on the horn and took a glance in the side mirror, catching a glimpse of her still standing in the doorway. As he drove he smirked a little, feeling proud of himself for finally making his move.

When he returned home and walked inside he saw that there at the kitchen table sat Davy, Micky and Peter, seemingly waiting for him. The moment he had strolled through the door they greeted him with nothing but matching sly grins. Mike cocked an eyebrow as he looked at them before walking over to the table.

"What is it?" He asked

"So where were you?" Asked Micky, still with a grin

"Do you 'appen to know when Trixie left?" Added Davy

"What exactly were the two of you doing this morning?" Peter chimed in

"We were doing nothing of your concern, she left a little while ago, and I was at her house returning her sandals that she left here. What's with all the questions and are there going to be any more?"

"Oh just curious." Said Micky before taking a sip of his coffee

Mike walked over to the refrigerator and opened it to peer inside. Behind him he could feel six brown eyes burning into his back as he knew they were staring at him like they had done when he walked in. Taking out a carton of eggs he closed the fridge door and walked over to the stove.

"How's everybody like their eggs?"

"Edible, preferably."

"Not too burnt."

"White with yellow in the center."

Mike rolled his eyes and found a frying pan. A whispered comment followed by a small bout of laughter caused him to turn and face the other three guys at the table.

"Now what's so funny?"

"Nothing." Peter covered his mouth to contain a giggle

"Nice one Micky." Said Davy

"Nice one Micky what?" They only laughed again "Now someone tell me what's so damn funny."

"Oh um…" Micky snickered "I just said that you'd probably enjoy, um, Trixie sunny side up." This caused Davy and Peter to giggle like children and Mike to roll his eyes again

Mike grumbled to himself as he begun to cook come eggs. Once again he heard hushed mumblings behind him at the table. But this time he decided to ignore it. For a brief moment Trixie snuck into his mind. He shook her out on time to finish cooking the eggs. After serving the breakfast and sitting down to eat, Mike paused to peer down at his food. He swore that he could see Trixie's face within it. While staring at the imaginary face he did not notice that he was being spoken to.

"Mike?"

He lifted his head and looked at Peter.

"So… when did you get so hung up on Trixie?" Peter asked

"What are you talking about? I ain't hung up on any one."

"Oh sure." Micky snickered "And Micky is my real first name."

"I'm not!"

"Of course you are. You were pract'ly drooling all ovah her last night."

"Like when you asked her to stay." Micky purposely became a little overdramatic and put on a thick, and terrible, Texas accent, as he acted out his version of what happened "Why Trixie dear please do stay the night. It won't be any problem at all. We really don't mind."

Peter chimed in by raising the tone of his voice in an attempt to sound feminine "Oh Michael! I would looooooove to! Please won't you escort me to your bed you tall, handsome hunk of a man you!"

"Oh darling! Give me a kiss!"

"I thought you would never ask!"

Peter and Micky leaned forward and preceded to dramatically air kiss each other. Davy fell out of his chair and rolled on the floor laughing. Mike sat there with his arms folded across his chest and a frown upon his face. Micky and Peter moved away from each other with a laugh even though they knew that Mike was not amused.

"Boy, Mick, for a guy who's just been dumped, you sure have a great sense of humor."

The moment those words came out of Mike's mouth, Micky looked as though he had been punched in the stomach. Peter and Davy fell silent and turned their serious eyes towards Mike. Micky shook before getting up from the table and dashing up the stairs. The rest of them flinched simultaneously once they heard the bedroom door slam closed. Four eyes remained on Mike.

"That was really uncalled for." Stated Peter

"How could you say such a thing? We were only johking around." Davy added

Mike sighed and stood up "I'll go talk to him."

Peter grabbed his arm "No you stay. I'll talk to him. He'll probably talk easier to me right now any way."

Peter got up from the table and went upstairs to see Micky. Mike sighed and looked at Davy for a second. Davy just shook his head and went back to eating his breakfast. Mike walked away from the table and stepped outside onto the balcony. Even he couldn't believe what he had just said to Micky. He was never one to kick a guy when he was down so this had taken him by surprise. He hung his head low and closed his eyes with a heavy sigh. Normally he would have kept his mouth shut during a time like that. Normally he would have swallowed his frustration among other emotions, letting their comments roll off his back. But for some reason he allowed the most inappropriate, most hurtful thing he could have said at that given moment to fall out of his mouth.

Once again his thoughts strayed to Trixie. This caused him to groan. He shook his head, trying to free these very thoughts. It worked for a moment or two until she popped back in. Why on earth was he thinking about her and at this given time? Sure he was attracted to her, and sure he kissed her, but that meant nothing to him. He might have asked her to go out with him or a date or two but nothing more would come from it. He was certain that he wasn't showing the other guys that he might have been hung up on her like they had teased him about. He was absolutely sure that he definitely was not developing feelings for her. That was out of the question. It just wasn't a good time for him to get seriously involved with someone, especially since he knew what Micky was going through. He never actually saw Micky with August but Mike knew just by looking at him just how much he cared about the guy, and how hurt he had become by him in just a short period of time. This was just one reason why Mike felt he didn't need a relationship; he didn't want to risk going through the same thing that Micky was. Another reason was, Mike really enjoyed remaining single. But for some reason Trixie was interfering with this, and he couldn't stand it.

There was no way that he could develop feelings for Trixie. There was no reason why he would even want to develop feelings for her. Why was he even thinking about this? It didn't make sense. He did not feel anything for her. At all. The time he spent with her was great. The kiss was amazing. There was nothing about her that he didn't like. After all what straight man in his right mind wouldn't like her? Even Peter showed a slight interest from time to time. He did like her; there was no doubt in that. But he refused to have any romantic feelings for her whatsoever. He was single and he was going to stay single because that was the way he liked it.

But why did he smile every time he thought about her? Why did he get a nice warm feeling inside whenever he heard her name? 'I must be delirious from some sort of illness I'm not aware of.' He thought to himself. 'That has to be the reason for all of this.' After all he did _not _have feelings for the woman. Ha! That was just laughable to him. Nope. Mike Nesmith didn't care about that Trixie McEuwin. Not one little bit.


	5. What a wicked thing let me dream of you

Chapter five: What a wicked thing; to let me dream of you

Mike reached out and thumbed away a drop of water that had just dripped down onto Trixie's cheek. He leaned in and placed a very tender kiss upon her lips. Touching his forehead to hers, he looked into her eyes with the slightest grin. Her eyes brightened and cheeks turned a nice shade of pink. Again he kissed her but this time he ran his tongue across her lips before passing it in between them. With one hand he held himself steady by pressing it against the doorframe beside him. The kiss had lingered and became much more feverous.

He moved away from her mouth and began to nibble on her neck. Then, moving his hands gently around her backside, Mike backed her into the house and kicked the door closed behind them. She dropped her sandals to the floor and wrapped both arms around his neck. This caused her bath towel to unwrap and then fall around her ankles. She pressed her naked body up against him as they kissed passionately. Things certainly had quickly heated up as Mike's fingers fumbled over the buttons of his shirt. Trixie helped him out by undoing the buttons, but he was the one who removed the shirt and aimlessly tossed it aside.

Next to go were his shoes and pants as he tore those off and left them behind in the spot where he once stood. Trixie leaped up into his arms. She wrapped her arms loosely around his shoulders while her legs snuggly gripped him at the waist. She let out a laugh of pure delight as Mike brought her down to the floor with him nicely on top of her.

He sucked and nibbled on her neck while massaging her breasts with one hand. She squealed and groaned as he hit tender spots with his mouth. He let his hand move down away from her breasts, and slid it ever so lightly down onto her waist. His fingers slowly walked along her waist before stopping at the top of her pelvis. The nimble fingers then came together into a curve and he allowed his hand to cup over her bare crotch. For just a second he held his hand there before he rubbed her sensitive skin, bringing his hand back up to her waist. He smirked, knowing that it had immensely teased her. Once again they kissed, right before a single one of Mike's fingers inched down over her clitoris. She gasped right as he slipped the very finger inside of her…

Mike opened his eyes and looked around, very disappointed in the surrounding darkness of his bedroom.

"Fuck…" He said just above a whisper, and then hoped that Micky was asleep

He sighed with a groan before pinching the corners of his eyes by his nose. There was no way he would be able to go back into such a dream in order to finish it. But at the same time he was just as disappointed to even be having that dream in the first place. How cruel was that woman to cause him to dream about her at night? He groaned again as he felt the bulge within his pajama pants. The last thing he wanted to do was to have to wake up in the middle of a dream like that and then have to get out of bed to take care of things in the bathroom. That was most inconvenient for him.

Placing an arm under his head he gazed up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and hoped to conjure up some unpleasant images to help him ease things. Once relaxed he turned over onto his side. Then with a sigh he tried to go back to sleep.

A thumping sound was heard just outside, causing Mike to suddenly sit up. He looked toward the window when he heard a light tap. After getting out of bed he walked over to the window and opened it. Much to his surprise Trixie was there on a ladder. She smiled at him, her eyes shining in the moonlight.

"Are you going to stand there, Michael, or are you going to help me in?"

Without saying a word Mike helped Trixie into the room. He then led her by the hand over to his bed. She very gracefully sat on the bed and looked up at him. A breeze blew in from the open window and caused her hair to dance. Mike knelt on the bed and gazed into her eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about you. So I came here to see you."

"Did you really have to use a ladder and climb in through the window? Couldn't you have just come in through the front door?"

"What fun would that have been?"

Mike snickered before leaning in for a kiss. He stopped right before their lips touched and backed away again.

"Wait. What about Micky?"

"I don't do threesomes."

He had to stifle a laugh that he knew would have been loud otherwise "No I meant what if we wake him up?"

"He's not here."

"What? Of course he's here."

Mike looked over at Micky's bed and saw that it was empty. At the same time he noticed that the window was now closed. He looked at Trixie confused. She just grinned and pulled him into a kiss. Together they lay down slowly with Mike on top of her. He ran his fingers through her hair as the kiss grew deeper. Moving over, he began to nibble on her earlobe and whisper sweet little comments to her. She giggled and twitched before he sucked on her neck.

For just a moment he paused and looked at her. She was now in a slinky, silken nightgown that barely reached her knees. This both confused and aroused him even more. But instead of questioning it he went back to sucking on her neck. His hand slipped under the thin strap of her nightgown, sliding the strap off her shoulder. With a proud smirk he then did the same with the other strap. Her chest heaved and her breasts were exposed. With the tips of his fingers he very lightly caressed the skin around her bare nipples. This caused them to stand at attention. He then licked his lips before moving forward to her ample bosoms. Mike's lips just barely touched the surface of the round mound of her chest. Once he kissed it, then a second time and even a third. He then moved over and did the same to the other breast before him. Sliding back up he then gave her a nice, slow and tender kiss upon her pouting lips. He paused in between kisses to peer down with a grin into her eyes that were a sparkling shade of green. She smiled, gazing deep into his eyes.

"Take me, Michael."

He sprung backwards in surprise for as she said his name her voice had turned into Micky's voice.

"Mike!"

He felt a poke in his arm and he quickly opened his eyes. Micky stood next to his bed with a pillow in his hand.

"The hell?"

"Quit making that noise. I really don't need to hear your fucking sex dreams when I'm trying to sleep."

"Oh like I haven't had to put up with yours." Mike turned over and Micky walked away "Not to mention the whimpering, and groaning and weeping out August's name the past couple nights." He muttered

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Go back to bed, Mick."

"Eh go fuck yourself."

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Micky mimicked Mike's question without using actual words "Now that's real mature. Why so cranky, Mick?"

"Leave me alone. I'm trying to sleep."

"Well fine."

Sleep. That was something that Mike wanted to do right then. But he knew that if he had fallen asleep the dreams about Trixie would start all over again. And that was something he just didn't need. For a while he just lay there listening to a combination of the ticking of the clock and his own breathing. He refused to close his eyes and allow that woman to reenter his brain. However his eyelids were fighting against him as sleep was beginning to win him over. Before he knew it he had been defeated as he drifted off to sleep.


	6. I don't want to fall in love with you

Chapter six: I don't want to fall in love with you

Over the next couple weeks Mike had spent a lot of his personal time trying to keep Trixie from entering his mind. This proved to be incredibly difficult to do, because she had begun to come over to the house more frequently, and his dreams about her had continued to play out at night. He soon gave up seeing that there was no use in fighting it. Each time Trixie had come over to the house, mainly to help Micky through his recent heartbreak, Mike found himself off to the side and quietly pondering her and how he actually felt about her. At this point he had begun to talk himself into accepting the fact that he just might have had developed feelings for her. But whenever one of the other guys would remark on, or even question him about this, he went right back into his denial.

One evening as they were practicing, there Trixie was, seated upon the couch and taking in every note they made. They were working on fine tuning Mike's latest creation that he had titled "Daily Nightly". Trixie automatically recognized it as the song he had scribbled on the napkin during their road search for Micky. While working out the kinks in the music they also, the past few times in playing the song, went through the possibilities of who would sing it. Mike, naturally, was the first to lend his voice for the lead, and then Davy and Peter gave it a try. But tonight was Micky's turn at providing vocals for this new song. Trixie had heard all four versions of the song as they tried them all out in front of her. She told them that she enjoyed being their test audience for this new song, and even offered them small tips on how to improve it here and there. Micky had sung the first verse of the song when Trixie stopped the band to announce that his voice was definitely the way to go on it. The four of them didn't have a problem at all with agreeing with her. In fact they all respected her opinion when it came to music. Coming from a band herself, she too had a good ear for it, and was able to talk to them as a musician.

During a break in the music, the five of them gathered on the floor. There they talked and laughed while passing around a joint. The band told Trixie about how they were about to purchase a synthesizer to use in the song they were focusing on during this practice session. She, after hearing Micky's explanation, agreed excitedly that it would be a great addition to their sound. It had also been mentioned that The Monkees had managed to score a two week gig at a new hotel in Las Vegas, and how they were already getting things ready for this trip. After hearing this, Trixie was very proud of her four boys, and she told them that she would like to go to Vegas and support them. After a little bit, Micky Peter and Davy had gone off in three separate directions, leaving Mike and Trixie alone in the house. Because they were now alone, Mike began to internally debate whether or not he should take the moment and act upon his feelings towards her. At the same time he also continued to debate over the fact that he did have feelings for her. But instead of making a move, other than a few smooches here and there, Mike decided it would be better for him to get to know her on a personal level. He realized that as long as he had known her the two of them still were basically strangers towards one another.

Mike lay back on the floor, resting his head on a pillow from the couch. Trixie lay where she and Mike had made a 90 degree angle, and rested her head on his chest. He lazily ran his fingers through her hair and thought up a question to ask her.

"So tell me, Trixie, how is it that you've come to be associated with the likes of Brownie and Tulip? Not that they're bad guys at all. I just was curious."

"Well… Ok here's the story as I know it to be true. So one day back when Brownie and Tulip were still known as John Stevens and Tim Anderson, the two of them had taken some acid and decided to go for a walk. They had wandered into this field in what they believed to be the middle of nowhere. Anyway, Brownie tripped and fell face forward into a bunch of flowers. There within the flowers, which by the way included tulips, he spotted a rather large toad. Now that acid they took prior to their walk was apparently some high grade shit so Brownie believed that the toad had begun to speak to him, in an Irish accent nonetheless."

"A speaking toad with an Irish accent amongst a bunch of flowers…" Mike whistled "Musta been a good trip."

"Oh right on. Now the toad, or what Brownie thought to be the toad, yelled at him to get out of the tulips. He sat up and then saw a very angry looking woman standing in the window of the nearby house. It wasn't the toad who had shouted that, but rather the woman. It turned out that Brownie was lying in my mother's flower bed right in front of our house, and the toad was only a small statue my mother had placed there amongst the flowers. Her accent, along with my father's, only comes out when she's mad. Or drinking. And it was a bit thick right then."

Mike laughed "I can only imagine that she was pissed. Right?"

"Oh yeah at first she was, because Brownie had flattened most of her tulips. By this time Tulip had grown very fascinated by, well, the tulips in the bed. He picked one and began to study it. Then he began to go on about the beauty of it. 'Why look at all the colors! The purple and the tiny bit of yellow and the wonderful chocolate brown all happily married together! Oh! And the green! That magnificent green of the stem! It blows my mind!' I shall spare you the rest of his monologue since it goes on for a while. That is actually how he got his nickname."

Mike nodded "Go on. What did your mother do next?"

"Well she laughed, seeing that they meant no harm. She then said she could plant new tulips and invited them inside for some brownies. That reminds me. Before I go on, you should know that my mother earlier that day had made up a batch of brownies. She had snuck in a special ingredient and, well, she was nervous about it since she had never done it before. She told me 'Patricia, don't you dare tell your father what I put into these brownies.' And to this day my father hasn't figured it out." She paused to hear a snicker from Mike but continued on with her story "So any way as she was serving the brownies to the guys she quietly let them know that they were, um, _special _brownies. Brownie took one bite and frowned. He told her they were too dry and seemed like she had only put dried up leaves into the batter and not any buds. He then told my mother his secret for the perfect special brownies. And…"

"Let me guess. From then on he had the name Brownie."

"Exactly. And naturally as we ate those too dry brownies, the three of us became fast friends. Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"I would love to know lots of things about you and your past. But I would also love for you to spread it out over time. Makes it better that way."

"Gotcha. So maybe some other time I'll tell you about how I met August. And maybe about the origin of The Nuggets."

"I anticipate it all." He said with a smile

The two of them remained in their positions for a moment until the doorbell rang. Mike sat up, looking at the door.

"Who could that be now?"

"Oh! I bet I know who it is!" She got up and flounced over to the door as though she was in her own home "I really hope you don't mind but I invited someone to come over here tonight."

"No I suppose not. So is this a girlfriend or something?" He too stood up and headed for the door

"Well not exactly…" She opened the door and squealed as she wrapped her arms around the newcomer's shoulders "Hi Marc! I was thinking that you weren't coming over." She pulled away with a smile

"Well I got lost. Am I too late to hear the band play?"

Mike frowned the moment he saw him. He automatically got a feeling of great dislike towards the guy but he didn't know why. He also wasn't certain but he assumed that this Marc guy wasn't Trixie's brother, but he hoped dearly that he was, and that Trixie had not seen him in a long time. Mike decided to put on a fake smile and attitude as he answered him.

"No you're not too late. We were just on a break. The other guys should be coming back inside any second now." 'Please come back so I don't have to say any more to this guy.' He thought to himself

Trixie was the one who actually invited Marc inside. Mike stepped away from them and over to the bandstand. As soon as he picked up his guitar and strummed a chord, the other three guys entered the house. The three of them were happy to greet Marc, but Mike stood back with his guitar trying to ignore the whole thing. He could not be any happier for them to get back into playing their music. As they played, Mike still tried to ignore Marc and Trixie. He felt that if there were other people in the room for him to look at he would have had a much easier time in achieving this. Marc and Trixie sat on the floor together by the bandstand, and seemed to be sitting extremely close. Way too close for Mike's comfort. Trixie sat there doing cute, playful little things with and to Marc. She giggled as he whispered something into her ear, and smiled as he laced his fingers through hers. Watching this scene caused Mike's skin to crawl. Mike was about to turn himself so they would be out of his view when he saw Marc kiss Trixie on the neck.

Mike would have thrown his guitar down and storm away but he realized that would cause him to look foolish. After all it wasn't as though he actually had something going on with Trixie. So there was no real reason for him to even care about this Marc guy. But he _did _care, and that was the problem. Why did he have to care that Marc was kissing her neck and whispering sickeningly cute comments in her ear and holding her hand and _looking _at her… and making her _smile_? All of it was causing knots to form in his stomach. But he forced himself to stay and finish playing as though he wasn't bothered by it.

He was bothered by it though. It bothered him a great deal. He wanted to march over there, pick Marc up by the shirt collar and strongly suggest that he leave Trixie alone. He wanted to claim Trixie as his own and make sure that Marc never took one step towards her, looked at her or even dared to think about her as long as he lived. But he couldn't. He knew that wouldn't be right. And it would make him appear bad in Trixie's eyes and ruin any chances he would have with her. A combination of seeing Marc paw and slobber all over Trixie, and the fact that she enjoyed it, along with the fact that he couldn't do anything to forcefully get him to stop, was causing Mike to grow furious inside. What was she doing to him? Why did she have to make him feel this way?

Mike did his best to keep his emotions buried deep within him as they finished up their practice session. Once Trixie had left with Marc, Mike remained by the bandstand with his arms folded across his chest. He quietly muttered things about them to himself until the other three guys came up to him.

"What's bothering you Mike?" Asked Peter

"Nothin'. Just thinkin'." He looked away from them

"Thinking about what exactly?" Micky paused and then grinned "Beating that guy's ass for stealing your pussy out from under you?"

"What? No! And don't talk like that about Trixie. She's a nice girl."

"A nice girl that you want in the sack." Davy said with a smirk

"Oh I do not want that… ok maybe I do but that's not all I want from her. But that _Marc _guy she was with seems like he's gettin' in my way."

"So Mr. Nesmith is getting jealous?"

"I am not jealous. I just don't like the guy."

"Uh huh." The three of them chorused

"Well I don't! And I don't think he's right for her."

"Yeah. Because he's not you." Stated Micky

"Yeah. Wait. No that's not it at all." Mike let out a frustrated sigh, knowing that there was no way he could dig himself out of this hole

He walked away from them, letting their next comments roll off his back. The truth was, he knew they were right. He was jealous. How could this be? He had no feelings for her. Well that was what he kept telling himself. But he knew it was far time for him to accept that he did have very strong feelings for her. And his jealousy over seeing her with another guy only topped it off for him. The last thing he wanted was to feel this way about her but now he knew he couldn't help it. There was no more fooling around. He was going to make it clear to Trixie how he felt about her. But at the same time he still wanted to deny this. He just didn't want to face what had grown inside of him right next to the jealousy. He knew he could no longer fight it as much as he wanted to. Oh shit what had he done to himself? He had actually fallen in love with Trixie.


	7. The world is only gonna break your heart

Chapter seven: The world is only gonna break your heart

The hotel was beautiful, having been brand new. There was gamboling areas set up all throughout the lower part of the hotel and a special ball room with a large stage perfect for a wide range of different acts. The Monkees had been given their own rooms (two for the four of them to share) and were told that when they weren't performing they could do whatever they liked within the hotel. They had never had the chance to experience something like the two week gig here in Las Vegas. The most they ever had was poorly paid gigs in different local night clubs and at private parties given at different places along the beach. They had one of their typical gigs at a typical night club, unknowing that a talent scout was there looking for a group to come play for the special opening of this very hotel. The Monkees were all extremely excited over this because it made them feel like stars.

They had everything set up on stage, including their brand new moog synthesizer. After a small sound check The Monkees went backstage and people began to fill the room. Neither of the four of them knew how the performance was going to go, especially in front of a crowd like this and on the stage that was larger than the ones they were used to. But they were all excited for it. After hitting the stage they went right into their first set. They played a few songs and grabbed the audience with their music.

"This next song we're going to do is a brand new one we've been working on." Mike said in between songs "This is our first time we've played this in front of a crowd so we hope y'all like it. If not then we've got some more tunes for you. This is called Daily Nightly."

The first notes of the song began and immediately sparked the audience's interest. With the sound of the synthesizer this song was like nothing anyone had heard before.

"Darkened rolling figures move thru' prisms of no color… hand in hand they walk the night but never know each other…" Micky sang as he played the synthesizer "Passioned pastel neon lights light up the jeweled trav'ler. When lost in scenes of smoke filled dreams, find questions but no answers…"

As Micky sang, Mike gazed out to the crowd. He had to look twice to make sure that he in fact saw who he thought he saw. And he was right. Standing amongst the other people were Trixie, Brownie and Tulip. Mike grinned towards them to let them know that they had been spotted.

"Salvation's yours for just the time it takes to pay the dancer! And once again such anxious men find questions but no answers!"

Micky sang on and the band continued to play. Mike winked at Trixie, causing her to smile.

"The night has gone and taken its infractions! While saddened eyes hope there will be a next one!"

Mike looked over again at Trixie and then saw someone come up to her, handing her a drink. It was Marc, and seeing him made Mike feel ill. 'How dare she bring that guy to Vegas with her, and flaunt it in front of me like that?' he thought, nearly causing himself to play a sour note.

"Second hands that minds have slowed are moving even faster. Toward bringing down someone who's found the questions but no answers!" And with that, Micky's final sung lines led them into the fade of the song

As they finished up their set, Mike kept a close watch on Trixie and Marc. He absolutely could not stand seeing that guy with her. What was so special about him? What did she even see in him? He clearly was not her type. He was barely taller than she was, and quite a bit scrawny. Mike could have easily snapped him in half. He didn't even look as though he could have taken a shot of whiskey that little piece of shit. What did he have that Mike didn't? What was that Mr. "I spell my name with a C" all about any way? He must have been rich or something. Maybe he tricked her into being with him somehow. He certainly couldn't have been all that interesting. And yet Trixie hung onto the guy's side and every word that came out of his mouth as though he was the greatest guy to ever walk the earth. That no good skinny nothing of a guy any way.

Mike's jealousy was raging within him by the time their set was over. He stepped off stage, walked past Trixie and Marc as though he didn't notice them and headed for the bar across the room. Right away he ordered himself two shots of whiskey and downed them just like water. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Trixie and Marc approaching him. Mike's eyes turned to their hands and took notice to the fact that they were linked together. He then quickly looked away and ordered a beer. When he looked back at them he had a fake grin resting upon his lips.

"Hey! Nice to see you Trixie. Oh and I see you're here with Max."

"Marc…" Marc corrected

"Yeah that's right." Mike looked at Trixie "So how you like the show so far?"

"Oh it's great! Your new song is amazing!"

"Well you helped Micky figure out the synthesizer and got him to sing it."

"Yeah but you're the one who wrote it. I just love the songs you write, Michael."

"Thanks. I do what I can." He took a swig of his beer

"Well your can is better than most people's do." She said with a wink

"Well I wouldn't know about that."

"I would." She grinned, catching him by the eyes

Marc tugged on Trixie's sleeve "C'mon babe let's go gamble or something."

"Oh alright… well I guess I'll see you a little later, Michael."

"Oh of course."

"Can't wait for your next set." She playfully twirled a finger through his hair before stepping away

"See you later Trixie. Max."

"It's Marc!" He called as he and Trixie were walking away

"Yeah I bet it is, Marcey-boy." Mike took a swig of his beer and watched Trixie from behind

Meanwhile the other five guys were in the casino area having a good time. A waitress came over and served them their drinks while they watched Micky play the slot machine. In one hand Micky held his drink and in the other he had the handle of the slot machine.

"Check this out." He pulled the handle down "C'mon c'mon c'mon…. yes!" Coins came out of the machine "Take that!"

"How's it every time you gamble, you win? 'Specially slots?"

"Well Pete, I got magic fingers! What can I tell you?" He took a drink and then pulled the lever again

"I once thought that I had magic fingers…" Said Brownie "But of course I was so stoned at the time that I thought everything was magical."

"So what's new?" Laughed Tulip

This caused all five of them to laugh, including Micky who had won again.

"Hey Davy you got more change on you?" Micky asked

Davy reached into his pocket "Why don't you use what you've won?"

"I'm saving it up for something good."

"Alright. But this is the last I'm giving to you." He handed Micky the change

"Thanks."

Before Micky could put a coin in the slot he looked up and across the room. His eyes widened and he dropped the coin, allowing it to land on the floor by his foot.

"Micky you kinda missed there." Peter said with a laugh "Mick?" He patted Micky on the shoulder

Micky's eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched as he stared across the room.

"Here hold this for me." He handed his drink to Peter before walking away

"Micky? What's the…" Davy was the first one to see what Micky was suddenly after "Oh shit…" When Peter gasped Davy knew he had seen it too.

Micky approached the area where August stood with another love-struck guy in his arms. Davy and Peter looked at each other with pained expressions.

"That could go nowhere good fast." Peter stated

"Uh uh. We bettah keep an eye on the situation. We'll step in there when it's absolutely necessary."

Peter nodded "Right."

Micky scowled as he tapped August on the shoulder. August and the other guy pulled apart and then August looked at Micky.

"Heeeeey! Micky! Long time no see!"

"After you dumped me and left me stranded? Yeah."

"Micky I'd like you to meet Donnie."

Micky briefly looked at Donnie "Yeah nice to meet you." He looked back at August "So how long did it take you to round him up after you got rid of me?"

"Don't be testy, babe."

"Oh don't you babe me! Did you think you were never going to see me again? Surely you must have known that we were going to be playing here, otherwise you wouldn't have shown up with, what, your latest victim."

The whole time Donnie stood there confused, upset, and looking like a wounded puppy at the same time all while he watched August and Micky.

"Micky it ain't like that."

"Then how is it? Don't tell me you actually have feelings for this guy or something." He turned to Donnie "Save yourself the trouble and don't buy into what he says or does. That charm of his might make him seem like the greatest guy ever, until he rips your fucking heart out."

"Hey listen fella!" Exclaimed Donnie "I don't care who you are or what August has done to you, but he's with me now and you're going to have to get over him."

"Oh yeah?! You want me to get over him? Trust me, one day soon you're going to know exactly what he put me through and then you'll have to be the one to get over him!"

"What the fuck is your problem, fuzzball?" Donnie grabbed August's arm "Come on babe. Let's go to our room."

"Hold on Donnie." August looked at Micky "Who the hell are you to come over here and yell at me and my boyfriend?"

Micky rolled up his sleeves and clenched his fists "Oh you don't want to know who the hell I am, August. How dare you do that to me and then move on with him like I never mattered at all to you?!"

Right before Micky could punch August, Peter had grabbed his fist. Davy and Peter quickly pulled Micky away from August and Donnie. Micky began to yell at August as he was being pulled away by his two friends.

"Fuck you August! Fuck you and your fucking boyfriend! If I ever see you again you are going to know exactly the pain you caused me once I'm done with you!"

Peter and Davy brought Micky back over to the slot machines. Peter sat Micky down in a nearby chair.

"Micky just cool down." He said sternly

"He just pissed me off so much, Pete." Micky huffed "I just want to kick his fucking ass so bad!"

"Violence is never the answer. You know that."

"Besides," Davy chimed in "We know he hurt you, but you really had no right in going ovah there like that."

"He didn't have to fucking show up at this hotel with another guy, knowing damn well that we were going to be performing here!"

"No he didn't. But he did and there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it." Peter replied "We're really sorry this happened to you but something a lot worse could have happened."

Micky sighed and nodded. But before he could reply he looked up and saw Brownie and Tulip standing there.

"Hey man, that was some heavy shit." Said Tulip

"You don't need to worry about that asshole. We've all got your back." Added Brownie

"Thanks man."

"How about we all go out to my van? I've got my monster bong out there and Brownie's got some shit that will cause you to forget about August completely."

"You know what?" Micky stood up "Yeah let's go. I need to relax."

"Relax?" Brownie laughed "You won't be able to feel your fucking body after smoking this shit."

"Ok bring it on."

Without saying anything else, the five of them walked out of the hotel and to where Tulip's van was parked. Their night was about to get better but what they didn't know was, Mike's night was about to get a lot worse.


	8. No one could save me but you

Chapter eight: No one could save me but you

The five of them sat in the back of the van and laughed. Davy held the bong up to his mouth while the other four watched him try to take in a good-sized hit.

"Pull the choke, man! Pull out the choke!" Brownie laughed

Peter and Micky fell forward laughing as Davy managed to take in the large dose of smoke into his lungs. Davy quickly exhaled the smoke and began to cough.

"Watch it bud!" Tulip patted Davy's back "That shit really grabs you by the ball hairs!"

"Ye ain't," (cough) "Kiddin' me!" (cough cough)

When Davy managed to stop coughing he burst out in a fit of giggles. The bong was then passed to Peter who seemed to have an easier time in hitting it than Davy had. Micky lied back and watched as the van filled with smoke. He took in a deep breath and grinned, knowing that he really didn't have to hit the bong in order to get the same effect. Right then he thought to himself that Brownie and Tulip weren't kidding about what they said about the pot Brownie had on him. He also remembered about all the other times he had smoked with The Nuggets, and wondered where Brownie always got such good pot. As he contemplated this it had not occurred to him that everything about August had melted away.

Mike sat at the bar and ordered yet another drink. An image of Marc's face caught his mind's eye. This caused Mike to want to slam his bottle down on the bar and break it into many pieces. But instead he took a drink. Marc's face and name ran through Mike's mind, and badly, creating a feeling of burning poison raging through his veins. Right at that moment he looked over and saw what he thought to be Marc shoving Trixie. Mike chugged his beer and marched over to them, unable to sit there and allow this to happen. Before realizing from Trixie's reaction to it, that Marc's little shove he gave her was one of playful nature, Mike stood next to him and gave him a very firm shove of his own.

"Listen here!" Mike's southern drawl had come out much thicker than usual "You leave your hands off of this woman!"

Marc looked at Mike confused and stunned "What's your problem?!"

"My problem is the way I saw you treat her! You like to shove women around?" He gave Marc another shove "Huh?"

"What are you talking about? Leave your hands off of me!"

"I will when you leave your hands off of her and treat her like a gentleman!"

"MICHAEL!"

Mike froze. He had never heard such an angry volume come through Trixie's voice, nor did he even expect it. He looked at her wide eyed and taken aback.

"There was no reason for you to come over here like that! What the hell are you thinking?!"

"Trixie I…"

"I don't want to hear it, Michael Nesmith! I don't know what's gotten into you right now and I am very surprised in you. I honestly thought that you were better than this!"

"But I…" His voice cracked "I can explain!"

"I don't care." Both anger and hurt came out within those three small words "Please just leave us alone."

For just a brief moment he stood there and looked at her. He wanted to say something more but instead he walked away in a huff. He knew then he had made a fool of himself and because of that he vowed that he would not bring himself around Trixie again while she was in Vegas.

It didn't take Mike long at all before he reached the hotel room he was sharing with Peter. The moment he walked in the room he placed the "do not disturb" sign over the door handle and then roughly shut the door. He was fuming and humiliated from his encounter with Trixie and Marc. It still surprised him that Trixie was able to yell like that. The final words that she had spoken to him looped around through his mind as he spied the mini bar across the room. He thought that he could have gone back downstairs to get a drink at the bar but that would have meant having another run-in with Trixie and Marc. So he was left with raiding the mini bar in the hotel room. Luckily for him, the small refrigerator contained the same brand of beer and a small bottle of the whiskey he had a little earlier. He took a bottle of the beer and the whiskey out before closing the door and walking over to the bed.

Mike sat with his legs stretched out in front of him over the bed and opened the beer first. As he took a drink he looked over at the nightstand in between the two beds. There upon the nightstand sat a radio. Mike quickly turned it on, picked a station and turned the volume up as loud as it could go. He thought that perhaps the alcohol and music would both calm him down and remove all thoughts about that woman who had snuck in and taken over his heart.

"_This next song is a couple years old but still just as good as the day it was released. By special request here is Girl by The Beatles!"_

After the DJ's words came through the radio, Mike rolled his eyes "Now ain't that just convenient? What's next? Run for your life?" He shook his head and took a drink of his beer

"_Is there anybody going to listen to my story all about the girl who came to stay? She's the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry…" _

Again Mike took a drink and looked at the radio "Now you're just preachin' to the choir, Mr. Lennon."

Mike finished his beer and then got up to go into the bathroom. He left the door open so he could listen to the song. Looking in the mirror proved to be a mistake right then but he did it anyway, knowing that it wasn't the worst one he could have made that night. He turned on the faucet and splashed water over his face. Taking a glance out the bathroom door he spied one of his bags sitting against the wall. Remembering what he had in his bag, that he had not informed the other three Monkees about, he immediately left the bathroom and bent down to open the bag.

After rummaging through the bag he took out the very pill bottle he was looking for. Then with the bottle of sleeping pills in his hand, he walked back over to the bed. This was, what he felt, exactly what he was going to need in order to get Trixie off of his mind and able to achieve a peaceful night's sleep. Looking at the nightstand as he opened the pill bottle he spied the whiskey that he had yet to drink. He picked up the bottle and opened it. Then with a sleeping pill in his hand and the open whiskey bottle in the other, he swallowed the pill before chasing it with a big drink of the whiskey. He then relaxed, stretching all the way out over the bed. Right at that moment the final verse of the song came through the radio.

"_Was she told when she was young the pain would lead to pleasure? Did she understand it when they said that a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure?"_

Mike then closed his eyes and prepared to go to sleep right as the final line had been sung.

"_Will she still believe it when he's dead?" _

The five guys entered the hotel laughing and smelling like pot smoke. They walked through the bar and casino area, deep within their conversation of great importance. Trixie saw them and walked over to them, placing a hand on Micky's shoulder to get his attention.

"Micky! Are you alright?"  
"Alright? Baby I'm out of this world!"

A slight frown fell upon her lips. She looked at the other four guys and then at Micky "Right… Any way Micky I just saw August and he told me how you went up to him and…"

"August? No Trix, it's Septememberer… um… Steptimber…" He laughed "September! Yeah that's right! Brownie what's in this shit?"

Trixie sighed in frustration "No. Micky listen to me carefully." She held the sides of his face in her hands and made him look at her, as she spoke slowly "I ran into August, you know your ex-boyfriend August. He told me about how you went up to him and were bitching at him and threatening him and his new boyfriend. Are you ok?"

"Oh… yeah. Yeah I'm fine."

She let go of his face and lightly slapped his cheek "We're talking about this after you come down. Got me?"

"Oh sure. You might have to remind me though."

"I know I'll have to remind you." She paused "Oh hey have either of you seen Michael around lately?"

"We thought 'e was with you. Oh my God listen to my voice! Why am I so loud?! 'As my accent always been this thick?" Davy burst into giggles and leaned against Peter, placing a hand on his chest

"Whoa…" Peter held onto Davy "That's some powerful weed. What were you saying Trixie?"

"I don't know where Michael is. And I'm getting a bad feeling about him."

"Maybe we should look for him." Said Micky

Trixie nodded "Ok well you highbrains wander around here a bit. I'm going to check upstairs. Anyone of you got a room key I can use?"

Peter pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to her "Mike an' I are sharing a room. Go look in there for him."

"Thanks Peter."

Trixie headed upstairs toward the rooms. It took her a little bit of searching but she found the floor she was looking for. As she walked down the hallway a knot formed in her stomach. She looked at the room key Peter gave her to check the numbers. When she found the right room she saw the sign hanging on the doorknob and heard music coming from the room. At first she knocked on the door to see if she would hear some kind of reply from within the room. But the only sound she heard was the music. She checked to see if the door was locked, and quietly thanked God that it wasn't. Opening the door slowly, she poked her head in the room.

"Michael you in here?"

She saw him lying on the bed with his eyes closed. The knot in her stomach grew bigger as she approached the bed. When she saw him she thought that he wasn't actually asleep as he appeared to be, but she hoped dearly that he was. He didn't look as though he was breathing so she checked his pulse.

"Shit…" She whispered

Her eyes turned to the nightstand and then widened once she caught sight of the whiskey and pill bottles sitting there. With a gasp she quickly jumped into action.

"Stay with me Michael! Stay with me! What do I do?"

Trixie pulled the trashcan over to the side of the bed. She then climbed onto the bed beside him right on time to notice that he had begun to choke. With all her might she tried to force him onto his stomach. She pushed and shoved at him, knowing that time was of the essence.

"Come on Michael work with me, damn you!"

Again she shoved him and managed to get him to roll over onto his stomach. She then reached down and made sure the trashcan was in place. Trying not to panic she patted hard on his back as she heard him gurgle. Right away all the contents of his stomach began to empty into the trashcan. He coughed and gagged, allowing for everything to go into the trashcan while Trixie rubbed his back and looked away. Trixie was able to let out a sigh of relief once Mike began breathing properly and when she was sure that nothing else was going to come out of him.

After a couple moments the dazed Mike managed to turn over onto his back again. He took a deep breath and cracked his eyes open. His vision was blurred at first but soon Trixie's face came into focus.

"Michael, are you alright?"

"Trixie… wha- what happened?"

"I think I just saved your life."

He pressed himself up a little with his hands and looked at her "Saved my life? How?"

As soon as that question came out of his mouth the events that led up to that moment began to come back to him. All he could do was look at her, feeling terrible that she had to be the one to find him that way. But at the same time he was glad that she had found him when she did. They both knew right then that he wouldn't have survived the night if she wasn't there. Trixie wrapped her arms around him and tears began to fall from her eyes. There was nothing more for either of them to do right then but be grateful that he was still alive.


	9. Never dreamed I'd lose somebody like you

Chapter nine: Never dreamed I'd lose somebody like you

The Vegas trip had passed, and as much fun that they wound up having, all the guys were glad to be home. During the trip Mike had explained to them about what had happened to him their first night there. With that story about how Trixie saved Mike's life, followed by the story about how the next night she consoled a weeping Micky after another run-in with August, the guys had a whole new admiration for Trixie. She had found her way into their close-nit family and to that they were more than glad.

Right after she had saved Mike's life, the two of them talked most of the night away. Before she remembered that she had ditched Marc and then left the room, Mike came to the conclusion that his love for her that he had tried to deny had grown. He now felt like a fool for even putting himself in that denial in the first place. Because now she was with that Marc guy. The more he thought about it the more he realized that he wanted to be with her. No. He _needed _to be with her. And if it weren't for this other guy and his foolish denial standing in his way, he would be with her by now.

That made him start to think about whether or not Marc was such a huge threat to him. Where did this guy even come from to begin with? He showed up out of nowhere and snatched Trixie away from him before he had a chance to make any real move on her. What was the deal with that? Maybe, perhaps, possibly, this all could have been a secret scheme of Trixie's to get things stirred up inside of Mike. If so then it certainly did its job well. But Marc was still there. Mike knew that since he was feeling this way about Trixie, he was going to have to do something about it, and that something was going to have to be done fast. He needed to get her to break away from Marc and look towards the one who truly cared about her. And this, he knew, would not be easy to do.

What he needed to do, he thought, was to make some sort of gesture that was going to win her over. Something that would sweep her off her feet. Something that would put that shining suit of armor on him. He didn't have a white horse to ride upon but Mike knew what he did have that would grab her attention; a poetic song writing ability and a guitar. Mike even had to laugh at himself for coming up with something so cheesy as serenading the woman he loved with a song. But at the same time he knew that this certain song he would write would be just the key to cause her to melt and forget all about that Marc Whateverhislastnamewas.

A smile came to his lips once he remembered her saying how much she loved the songs that he writes. That made him know for sure that this gesture he was going to make with his song was the best gesture he could make towards her. There was no doubt in his mind that this was going to work. He decided to waste absolutely no time, and start writing this song for her right away. The sooner he got it done, the sooner he could present it to her and steal her away from Mr. Skinnylittletwerp.

All day and everyday this task was on Mike's mind. He had quickly come up with a tune that which he had begun to hum throughout the day. He hummed it at the breakfast table, he hummed it in the shower and while getting dressed, he even hummed it while brushing his teeth. He hummed it so much that it was beginning to drive the other three guys crazy. When they threatened that they'd keep hostage something he held dearly if he didn't stop this obsessive humming, Mike decided to actually take pen to paper and write some lyrics to go with this tune.

Mike sat at the table that was against the far wall where the phone sat. He had his paper and a pen in hand and he was ready to write. His muse; the very lovely and petite American girl of Irish decent named Patricia McEuwin. And what a muse she was!

"Hmm hmm hmm da tee daa hm hmm da da da tee da…" He tapped his pen against the table as he thought "She owns… she owns and operates… hmm hmm daa…" He scribbled a couple lines down onto the paper before reading over them "She owns and operates her own sunshine factory… laa tee da da la hmm hm da da…" He paused briefly before scribbling some more words onto the paper "She owns and operates her own sunshine factory… painting smiles on dolls and then on me…" Again he paused to think before writing something else down. He crossed out a line he didn't think quite fit and then replaced it with another line "She's my sunny girlfriend and personality…" he paused with a smirk "Well she ain't my girlfriend but it fit the tune."

What he didn't realize while he was engrossed in his song in the making was Micky had entered the room. Micky walked over to the table behind Mike and looked over his shoulder at the paper.

"Hey what's this Mike?" He snatched up the paper and began to read it despite the fact that Mike tried to protest

"Hey give that back!"

"Is this a new song? What's this? Sunshine factory… smiles on dolls… something something about girlfriend… you need to fix your chicken scratch Mike. I can hardly read this."

Mike took the paper from Micky's hand "Good! I don't want you to read it anyway."

"Why? Is it personal?" Micky asked with a grin

"No. I just started on it and I don't want to reveal it to anyone until it's finished."

"Anyone? Or Trixie?"

"Mind your own business Micky. Hey shouldn't you be practicing how to set up your drums for a RIGHT handed drummer?"

"No they suit me just fine how they are."

"Yes. Now you've only got to learn how to play them." Mike snickered

"Oh very funny." Micky rolled his eyes. Mike shot him a look that told him to "scram", which he promptly picked up on "Alright. Alright I'm going. I'll leave you to work now." He said before walking away

"That's all I ask for."

Mike went back to writing and Micky sat on the spiral staircase with a book. This caught Mike off guard but in that moment he felt he was on a roll with his song. So he wasn't going to question it. Davy and Peter entered the house, by the way of the balcony, having just stepped off the beach. They looked at Mike who was quietly writing and then at Micky who was quietly, and very strangely, reading.

"So what's going on here?" Asked Davy

"Shh!" Was Mike's only reply

"Micky you're reading?" Peter asked in surprise

"Shh!" Micky replied "Mike's trying to write a love song to Trixie."

"I am not!" Davy and Peter ignored Mike's retort

"Since when do you read, Micky?"

"Since… shut up Davy."

"Jeeze…" Said Peter "What's with you guys?"

Micky threw his book at Peter but it missed him "Damn it Peter you made me lose my place!"

Peter stood wide eyed and picked up the book. When Micky started laughing Peter realized that he was only kidding around and then relaxed.

"Sorry Micky." He laughed too

"So let me ge' this straight." Davy started "Mike is writing what might be a love song for Trixie, and Micky is, or was, reading a book on the stairs. That makes complete and total sense."

"I only thought I would do something quiet so I wouldn't disturb Mike while he was working. But since you guys came in, I think that ship has sailed."

"Oh. Now that makes a bit more sense."

While this was happening between Micky Peter and Davy, Mike had gotten frustrated over the distraction they had caused for him. He picked up his paper and pen and then headed into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him. As long as he was away from them he knew that he would be able to get some work done. Mike was bound and determined to finish this song faster than any other song he had ever written. He wanted to make sure that Trixie heard it the moment he had it finished. After a little bit he left the bathroom, only to grab his guitar and taking it back into the bathroom with him. He only came out periodically when one of the guys needed to go in there. But soon, after writing and re-writing, and strumming on his guitar, Mike was satisfied with his complete song.

Mike went over to the phone and dialed Trixie's number with a grin. After a couple rings he grew nervous, feeling as though she wasn't going to answer. He was about to hang up, thinking that it was just going to keep ringing, and then he heard her soft voice on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey Trixie. It's Mike."

"Hi Michael. What's going on?"

"I was wondering if maybe you would like to come over."

"Well I would actually. But I can't. I'm in the middle of packing."

"P-packing? May I ask what for?"

"Um… Oh shoot I meant to tell you guys this sooner. I'm moving."

Mike's stomach fell into his shoes "Moving? Where?"

She let out a very slight sigh "San Francisco."

His heart joined his stomach "What on earth are you going to do all the way out there?" he tried not to sound as though he was hurt

"Well… Marc asked me to move in with him…"

Mike could not believe what he had just heard. This was the last thing he even wanted or expected to hear from her. Anything else that came next from her mouth went unheard by Mike. He had grown numb and didn't know what to do.

"Well I hope you have a good life in San Francisco with him." He couldn't even bring himself to say Marc's name "I guess I'll talk to you later when you aren't so busy." He hung up, trying not to seem upset

He looked at the freshly written song in his hand and felt like he wanted to throw it away. His chance with her, as he felt it right then, had been lost for good. He had been hurt and very disappointed by the unexpected turn of events and didn't know how to handle it. His eyes turned to the lyrics on the paper in his hand and he felt his heart beating once again. Right at that moment he decided that he was not going to let himself be defeated by this. He still was going to be determined to fight for the woman he loved. He decided that just because Trixie was moving across state with another guy, he had not yet lost her. This he would not stand for.


	10. Nobody loves no one

Chapter ten: Nobody loves no one

There he sat in the car, parked on the side of the road. He looked at the house and held his breath. Was he crazy to be doing this? Maybe he was crazy but he didn't care. He never wanted anything more in his entire life. Then he remembered about how determined the two of them were to do whatever it took to find Micky and bring him home. Nothing during that time was off limits to them so traveling out of state had become just one part of the very important journey. This moment was no different to him.

After going over what he was going to say to her in his head, Mike got out of the car. The walk up the driveway and all the way up to the front door seemed to be the longest walk he had ever taken in his life. He felt nervous and excited at the same time as he approached the door. What if she didn't like the song? What if he was just wasting his time by doing this?

"What if cars ran on spit?" He whispered "Don't worry about the what-ifs, Mike, and just do this."

He took a deep breath and stepped onto the porch. Raising his hand to knock, he then looked at the door and saw a piece of paper taped to it. He pulled the note off the door and frowned.

"_To The Monkees_." The note read

For a moment he stared at the note in his hand. His heart stopped and he let out a sigh of both frustration and disappointment. This note could only mean one thing; he was too late to see her before she left. A few of the longest seconds ever went by before he put the note into his pocket. He stepped off of the porch and then headed back to his car.

Except for the radio blasting out The Kinks, the car ride home for Mike was a quiet one. He didn't even have his own thoughts to talk to. Just the radio and the constant hum of the car. But he didn't mind. Stepping inside the front door, he had caught the attention of his three friends. He ignored the fact that they were there at first, as he leaned against the wall by the door and looked up at the ceiling. The other three guys approached him all at once with questions.

"Why are you home so soon?"

"How did it go?"

"Did Trixie like the song?"

Mike sighed, stepped away from the wall and took the note out of his pocket "She wasn't home. But she left this. I didn't read it because it's for all of us." He handed the note to the nearest friend, who happened to be Peter

Peter unfolded the note and began to silently read it.

"What does it say, Pete?" Asked Micky

"Dear guys," He read "I am really sorry I didn't come over to say goodbye to you in person. One thing, I was just too busy packing up until the last minute. Another thing is, I knew I would have had too hard of a time leaving you all, Michael especially. I feel the five of us have grown close over the past summer weeks and I will always cherish the time we had spent together. I know this move came out of nowhere but it's just where my life wound up leading me. I am enclosing my new address and phone number so we'll be able to stay in touch. Soon after I have moved all my stuff into the new house in San Francisco I will come by LA so we all can have a proper goodbye in person. I hope you guys aren't too hurt or upset by this sudden departure. You all mean so much to me." He paused and looked at all of them

"Micky, keep being your funny self and remember someone special who deserves to be with you will find their way, whoever he or she may be, into your heart soon. Peter, make sure that you remain the peacekeeper. And remember to always look for the good in things like you do; don't ever change that about yourself. Davy, what can I say? I may always turn you down, but I shouldn't have to say that other girls won't. Just be safe and treat them all the way they deserve. Maybe one of these days one of them will last longer than a week or two. And Michael, Please take care of yourself. Don't be so stubborn and try not to let your anger get the best of you anymore. I nearly lost you once, don't let it happen again! Someone needs to be there to keep the other guys in line. And no one is better for that than Papa Nez. I love you all. Trixie."

Once Peter finished reading the note, Micky took it from him and began silently reading the part she had written to him repeatedly to himself. All four guys remained silent for a few moments as they thought about the words that Trixie had written to them. They were glad that she had left the note but at the same time they were disappointed to not have had a goodbye in person. They also knew that this note was not the last they would ever hear from Trixie. She was their sister now and there was a bond between them that wasn't going to break.

Mike stepped away from the other three guys and headed upstairs. After a few minutes he came back downstairs with a small bag of his belongings. He went over to whoever now had the note and took it from him. After copying the address on another piece of paper he walked over to the door.

"Well I'm leaving." He stated

"Where are you going?"

Mike grinned and turned the doorknob "San Francisco."

All three of them smiled in unison and gave him their words of encouragement. They cheered him on right out the door. All of them knew how important this last second trip was for him. He was on his way to finally winning the heart of the woman he loved and nothing was going to get in his way to stop him.

The day had dragged on and taken Mike very far from home. Quite frequently he had checked the address, despite the fact that he had not yet reached San Francisco. Once he had finally reached the city in question, he found himself aimlessly driving around in hopes of finding this place that matched the address upon the paper. During a stop at a gas station to fill up the tank, he managed to flag down someone to help him. After receiving very precise and lengthy detailed directions that included something about "passing the old barn that had burned down about fifteen years ago and going on down the second dirt road a spell…" Mike nodded to the old man and got back into the car. Luckily for him he understood the language of the old farmer and managed to pick up on the only information he needed to know.

Finally he began to smile once he spied the street he was looking for, just a little bit down the road he was on. His smile grew a little bigger once he turned onto that very road. His eyes searched carefully for the right house numbers. He drove up and down the road twice but didn't see the matching numbers. Feeling discouraged but not about to give up he drove down the road again, hoping to see something he may have missed. This time he noticed a narrow driveway hidden in between two rows of trees. There was a small sign on a post that held the numbers he had been searching for all the while.

"Ah ha!" His smile returned and brightened as he turned down the driveway

The driveway was long and had been cast under shadows of the surrounding trees. Up ahead he saw the two story house that was surrounded by water. The house had been seated upon a small, private island. The car slowly drove over the wooden bridge and up to the house. When Mike got out of the car and stepped onto the ground, his smile was even brighter.

He saw Trixie's car parked right next to the house, and signs that someone had been in and out of the house recently. A shadow moved across the upper level window, which caused Mike's eyes to move in that direction. Trixie walked in front of the window, but did not look out. She opened it, still not seeing him down below, and then walked away. Mike went to the trunk of the car and pulled out an acoustic guitar. With his guitar he walked over to the tree that stood near the house, reaching the very window. There he sat at the bottom of the tree and began to strum on the guitar.

"She owns and operates her own sunshine factory. Painting smiles on dolls and then on me. She's my sunny girlfriend and personality."

Trixie came back to the window, having heard the music. She looked down and saw Mike playing his guitar and then she smiled.

"Well she's got a book that tells about everybody's past." He looked up and saw her. With a smile he sang and played louder "And she can make you slow while making your mind move fast. She's my sunny girlfriend and she is never last."

She hurriedly rushed down the stairs and out of the house. Mike saw her run outside and stopped playing. He sat his guitar down and stood up right on time for her to wrap her arms around him.

"Michael! What are you doing here?"

"I came to sing you a song I wrote. You know, to get your opinion about it." He said, playing his usual cool

She laughed and slapped him on the chest "I can't believe you drove all the way here just to get my opinion on a song."

"Well not exactly. I came because I needed to see you. I wrote that song special for you and I wanted you to hear it in person."

"Thank you so much for that. I love it. I'd really like to hear the rest of it."

"I'd love to play you the rest." He paused with a grin "It's about you by the way."

She touched the end of his nose with a slight laugh "I would have never guessed."

"A little obvious?" He laughed

"Just obvious enough."

A cool breeze blew in off of the water and kissed their skin. The sky was darkening as the sun was sinking deeply into the water. The two of them stood there, peering into each other's eyes. They both smiled softly and their eyes sparkled. Neither of them wanted anything to spoil this moment. Mike couldn't help but lean in closer to give her a kiss. When he pulled away he softly whispered.

"I hope Marc isn't the jealous type."

"Marc who?" She whispered back "All I see is you."

Mike raised his voice out of the whisper "Isn't he here with you?"

"He is. But he doesn't matter."

"How so?"

"We're not together. Just living together. See, I've known him forever since he's a good friend of the family's. He needed someone living here with him to help with the bills and such. So naturally I agreed to move in."

Mike nodded, half listening beyond the point where she said the bit about she and Marc not being "together". As soon as he knew she was done speaking he pulled her yet again into a kiss. The kiss was much deeper and much more passionate than the first. When it had ended he lightly kissed the end of her nose, causing her cheeks to turn pink.

"Trixie…" He paused and looked into her sparkling green eyes "Let me tell you somethin'. For a while there I had refused to believe that I had actual feelings for you. But as of lately I realized that… now… you've got a spell and I refuse to come out from under it."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" She softly drew a grin to her lips

"Trixie I love you."

Her soft grin turned into a big bright smile. Their hearts pounded and minds raced together. This time she was the one to place the passionate kiss on him. After pulling away she slipped her hands into his.

"Pick up your guitar Michael and come inside with me. You can play me the rest of that wonderful song."

Without hesitation he did as she said. The two of them walked into the house and over to the living room where they sat upon the couch. Mike strummed a couple chords on his guitar before Trixie leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"By the way… the feeling is mutual."

He looked at her half in question and half in excitement, while nearly dropping his guitar "You mean it?"

She nodded "I love you too."

And without saying another word, he smiled and began playing the song right where he had left off. Neither of them knew what was to come next as they sat there upon the couch, but they were happy. They were ready and willing to find out the rest of their story as it was going to be written.


End file.
